Thursday, 7 November 2013

Butterkuchen means 'Butter Cake' in German. It's part of a family of sheet cakes (called Blechkuchen) that are often made with yeasted dough. This is one of the simplest.

More poignantly, Butterkuchen is also called Freud-und-Leid-Kuchen or 'Joy and Sorrow Cake' because it is often served at weddings and funerals in North Germany. I think the name shows beautifully how entwined food is with our celebrations, our emotions and our lives.

When I decided to make a Butterkuchen I wasn't sure where to start. If I'm looking at making a recipe where I either have no idea who to trust or there are so many authoritative recipes that I don't know where to begin, I turn to a method I developed a few years ago for choux pastry.

I then typed each ingredient into a spreadsheet, making conversions and translations as I went. From there I divided each ingredient weight by the flour weight in each recipe (i.e., for no.1 below, sugar was 30/250 = 0.12) so that I had a ratio (I sometimes use eggs as the starting point too). This means I can directly compare the proportions in each recipe.

Instead of working out the average proportion for each ingredient I tend to have a look and decide on a sensible value, taking into account my general preferences and outliers. For instance, with the sugar for the dough, I chose 0.1 after looking at 0.12, 0.28, 0.11, 0.12, 0.12 and 0.1, as I tend to err on the side of less sugar and 0.28 seemed out of line.

I then decided on a size for the recipe based on the ingredient I started with (i.e. flour). For this one I chose to make a small sheet, as it's much better when it's fresh and warm from the oven, so I went for 250g of flour. I then multiplied up the remaining ingredients (i.e, for the sugar, 0.1 x 250 = 25g).

Finally, I work out a method from comparing the recipes and my experience with similar recipes. I then adjust the ingredients and method if needed as I test. This one worked perfectly the first time, so I just tested it twice again to check it was consistent.

A few of the recipes I found included cinnamon in the topping but I decided to focus on the butter, almonds and vanilla. Vanilla is often included in the recipes as vanilla sugar sachets but I was in a luxurious mood and decided to rub the seeds from half a vanilla bean into the sugar for the topping. I think it's worth it - the flavour and smell is wonderful and the flecks look very pretty in the sugar crust.

This is a really enjoyable recipe to make. There's something incredibly satisfying about poking the holes in the soft dough and then filling all of the dents with the little chunks of butter. It's also absolutely delicious - buttery, crisp, crunchy, nutty and almost like a doughnut.

Put the milk and butter into a small pan and heat until the butter has melted and the milk is steaming. Pour into a bowl (preferably metal) and place in the fridge or freezer to cool. Once the milk has cooled to warm, whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle in the yeast and whisk in. Lightly beat the egg then add it and the milk to the bowl. Stir until the dough comes together. Attach the dough hook and knead for 4 minutes - by the end, the dough should be smooth and elastic. It's very sticky at this point but don't worry. Cover with cling film or a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough has doubled (about 45-60 minutes).

Dust a work surface with flour then tip the dough out onto it. Dust the top with flour then roll out to an even rectangle of about 28 x 20cm (11 x 8"). Transfer to a greased, rimmed baking sheet. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for about 20-30 minutes - it won't rise a huge amount, but when it's ready a poke should leave a clear indent.

Preheat the oven to 200C/390F. Weigh out the sugar into a small bowl. Split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the bowl. Rub the seeds into the sugar until they're evenly distributed. Cut the butter up into tiny cubes. When the dough is ready use a finger to poke lots of dents in the dough (pushing down to the bottom but not making a hole - see picture above) - you may need to dip your finger in the sugar if it starts sticking to the dough. Place a small cube of butter in each of the dents. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the vanilla sugar, then the almonds.

Bake for about 17-20 minutes, turning at 10 minutes, until the dough has risen, bronzed and the almonds are golden-brown all over and caramelising. There might be butter in the tray - don't worry. Once it has cooled a little, you should be able to tap it and get a hollow sound. Leave to cool until warm, then slice up. Best eaten while still warm or very fresh. You can freeze it and reheat it but it's not quite the same.

(Makes one slab, about 12 slices)

*You could use vanilla sugar instead, though I love the way the seeds look and the amount of flavour they give. You can make a batch of vanilla sugar from the scraped pod when you make this and use it next time (or for something else, of course). If you don't have vanilla sugar or a pod, you could add 1 tsp of vanilla paste, or failing that, extract, to the dough, though it won't have the same effect.

42 comments:

Oh my, Butterkuchen! I feel kind of honored as I am from Germany and hope you enjoyed it ;) I tend to like its bigger sister more, though, "Bienenstich", which is more like your Toscakaka with a cream layer in between. Nontheless, lovely post as usual! It is always a joy to read your posts and I love how you experiment with baking and explore foods from other countries as well! I didn't knew its second name and that it is eaten for weddings and funerals in the north...

Reading your recipe posts, I love and admire your passion and effort that you dedicate to each dish and dessert you make: the holistic experience of knowing the origin and flavours, and then tailoring it to your own palette as well :) Beautiful recipe Emma!! :)

I'm glad that someone else uses the same method of recipe creation as I like - you can't go wrong with a spreadsheet! Love the butteriness of this cake and I'm very drawn to your description of it as almost like a doughnut!

Butterkuchen! I grew up eating this - it is the typical cake you can buy in most bakeries back home and that people bring to large gatherings. I did not know it is typically eaten at weddings or funerals but it does not surprise me. However simple its name, it is such a perfect description because the cake is so unbelievably buttery - reading your post brought back incredibly vivid memories of biting into a slice of this, the crunch from the sugar on top and the flaky almonds.

I loved the little insight into your recipe creation process as well - I tend to do the exact same thing and however precise I start out end up making some executive decisions based on what feels right, experience etc and ignoring the outlyers if there is no good reason to include them.

I have a similar way of working out new recipes, except mine involves awful bits of scrappy paper, illogical sums and wonky grids...this is so much more organised and mathematical and something I really need to try with my baking :-) As for the result, this cake looks SO yummy, love the topping and the thought of those studs of creamy butter - so good.

Oh my goodness - this is so scientific. And so far from my own 'I'll add a little bit more of this and little bit more of that and see how it comes out' method. I am very, very impressed. The cake looks sublime. Perfect for elevenses.

I loved it! I have heard of Bienenstich a few times (not to mention when Smitten Kitchen posted about it) - it looks lovely. I really enjoy trying things from other countries, there's so much to explore.

I wonder if this is related at all to the St. Louis classic--Gooey Butter Cake. I know St. Louis has deep German roots. I don't believe it's yeasted, resembling more of a plain yellow cake but very, very rich. This looks like a much tastier, less sweet version, though. I can't wait to find an excuse to make this!

Just wanted to say that you're a genius! I'm definitely going to use your system in the future. It can be a real hassle trying to figure out what recipe to try when you're craving something new and exotic!

By the way, love your blog! And these look great! Do they really taste like doughnuts?

Just wanted to say that you're a genius! I'm definitely going to use your system in the future. It can be a real hassle trying to figure out what recipe to try when you're craving something new and exotic!

By the way, love your blog! And these look great! Do they really taste like doughnuts?

Hi Nadia - I always stir fast action dried yeast straight into the dry ingredients and haven't had any problems before - the granules are so small. Did the milk mixture cool down properly before you added it? The heat can kill the yeast. I think I'd probably use this recipe for the dough now: http://www.poiresauchocolat.net/2012/03/chelsea-buns.html . Hope that helps.

Wow this spreadsheet is great, you go girl! I think this is like my approach to baking, except I do this on paper and it takes a few days before I get in the kitchen and start making something I've been planning. But of course, you are a blogger after all :) I am so happy I found your site; I will be roaming here a lot.